This One Thing
by SkyeRose
Summary: And then everything stopped. The shouting, the klaxons, the spinning…everything. All Daniel heard was a flat ringing in his ears; an EKG flat lining. A life being snuffed. When the unthinkable happens, who can you trust? -SamJack-
1. Shouting

**This One Thing**

**Chapter One: Shouting**

**A/N: YOU GUYS! I just watched all two seasons of that ABC show 'Don't Trust the B- in Apartment 23 (in two days) and YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE who guest starred in the last episode. I don't know if I've ever reached that level of shock before. RICHARD DEAN FRAKIN' ANDERSON. I…I just…I don't even know. Also, it's not even listed on IMDB. Ahhhhhhhhhh! And I'm crying. I have no idea why, but I am. I just miss this guy and this show and I've been awake for a really long time and JACK.**

**Wow. Freakout over. Except not really.**

**This is a short introductory chapter. I hope you like it enough to tell me if I should continue!**

**Enjoy!**

The klaxons blared as the gate room erupted into chaos. General Hammond was shouting into the base intercom and Daniel was shouting into his radio from the other side of the blazing wormhole. Airmen were running into position, ratcheting and pointing their weapons at the suddenly ominous shimmering puddle as the med team stormed the room. Everyone was shouting.

But no one was listening.

The event horizon bowed and erupted and Daniel burst through, blood drenching the entire left side of his body. But no one could see that. All they could see was the heavy form slung over his shoulder. "Shut it down! Shut it down!" Daniel yelled, stumbling as his feet met the ramp. Less than a second later he and his burden were surrounded, the medical team having rushed to meet him as he stepped through, heedless of the potential danger ahead of them and the guns behind.

More shouting. The klaxons hadn't ceased. Daniel tried to follow the stretcher, hands suddenly confused now that they were empty. He raked bloody fingers through his hair and his eyes were so tired from being so shocked for what felt like an eternity. How did this happen?

He pushed through the med team, desperate to keep the stretcher in sight, knowing that if he lost that connection—even for just _one second_—all hope would be gone. "Come on, come on, come on!" But he wasn't sure if he was actually saying the words. That had been a repeating mantra since his shoulder had become a resting place for his teammate, his friend. But the final resting place? No. Daniel refused to let himself even think it.

"Daniel, I'm sorry, I need you to back off!" Janet Frasier yelled over her shoulder as Daniel kept jostling her team, trying to stay close as they ran. "Give us some space! Go, go, go!"

"Doctor Jackson!" Hammond's voice boomed through the concrete hallway and Daniel slammed his hands over his ears. There was too much noise. Shit, he was going to pass out. Fight it, fight it…

"General, sir!" He bit the words out, the world swimming in front of him. His glasses, where were his glasses? Had they been missing the whole time?

"Son!" The general was suddenly in front of him, steadying hands on his forearms, forcing his hands down. "Doctor Jackson—what the _hell_ happened to Major Carter?"

And then everything stopped. The shouting, the klaxons, the spinning…everything. All Daniel heard was a flat ringing in his ears; an EKG flatlining. A life being snuffed.

Looking at Hammond, Daniel just shook his head, pain in every inch of his body. "Jack shot her."

"What?" Hammond looked like he'd been slapped, but Daniel, spurred on by his rising bile, tore away and bolted down the grey hallway.

Following the shouting.

**TBC**

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Please R and R!**


	2. Before the Worst

**Chapter Two: Before the Worst**

**A/N: Wow, thank you all so much for the overwhelming response! I certainly wasn't expecting it! Here's the next installment, hopefully you like it as much as the last!**

**Enjoy!**

"Alright, campers, looks like we'll set up here for the night." Jack dropped his pack on the ground and surveyed the small clearing. The trees surrounding them loomed close, but there had been no indication of any life—hostile or no—from either their survey or the UAV. But he was still on guard. Six years in the program and he'd learned never to take anything for granted. If there were no signs of life, it almost certainly meant they'd be attacked.

So prepare for the worst and hope for the not worst…"Or something." He muttered as he began to set up their small camp. Sixteen hours until they could go home and there was a Discovery special just calling his name. Not that he would ever tell anyone that. Ever.

"It's pretty obvious, sir." Sam smirked as she kicked the flattish log into the perfect position by the slowly building fire.

"What?" Jack spun, the question catching him off guard and off balance. Had she read his mind? When had she learned to do that?!

"Jack?" Daniel looked at him curiously, sitting next to Sam and handing her the MRE she'd evidently lost a bet for.

"Daniel." Jack tugged uncomfortably on his vest and sidled to the other side of the fire to sit next to Teal'c. "Carter." She gave him a suspicious look, but couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corner of her mouth. Turning to his left, he raised an eyebrow at his big companion. "T."

"O'Neill." Teal'c did not look at the younger man having grown used to his antics.

"Hm." Jack looked at the fire for a minute. "Carter!"

"Sir!" Sam jumped at the sudden address, spilling some of her "vegetable" onto Daniel's sleeve. "Sorry." She grinned at him before turning to the colonel.

"What isn't obvious?" Sam and Daniel exchanged a look that even Teal'c seemed to be in on. And Jack was left out in the cold. He decided he didn't like it out in the cold. "Someone wanna fill me in here?"

"We tried, sir." Sam looked at him innocently, only her eyes visible above the rim of her mug.

Jack fought the smirk fighting its way up and out. His major was getting cheekier by the mission. But he wasn't complaining.

"Well, try harder." She merely closed her eyes in supposed enjoyment of her drink.

Daniel rolled his own eyes and threw Jack a bone, if only to head off the weird flirting that the fire always seemed to bring out. "While you were off on your own mental space adventure, we were talking about the new captain on SG-17."

"I was not on a mental space adventure!" He waved his hand haughtily before the rest of Daniels' words caught up. "The new who?"

Sam snorted into her cup and even Teal'c shot him an eyebrow. "Captain Nealy, colonel? Karen Nealy?"

"Brunette, short, cute in a college way, I guess." Daniel frowned and then shrugged, satisfied with his description after all.

"She has been paying much attention to you, O'Neill." Teal'c glanced sideways to see his friend's reaction.

"Well, of course she has." Jack shrugged, and reached for his own dinner, unaware of the way Sam's eyes widened and Daniel's quick look to her.

"Jack?"

"Come on, Daniel. Every hotshot newbie is gunning for a position on SG-1. It's nothing new." Jack shrugged and frowned at his food before glancing over at Teal'c's with interest.

Noticing this, Teal'c turned slightly; protecting the rest of his dinner from Jack's twitching fingers. "A romantic interest, O'Neill."

Choking on his chicken—or was that tuna?—Jack shook his head. "No way."

"What? She is cute, sir." Sam narrowed her eyes just so and lifted her mug to her lips again. Slowly.

"Sure. Except she's the exact," He took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes at Carter to match her expression. "Opposite of my type."

"So, let's see," Daniel raised an eyebrow and shot Teal'c a look. "Blonde, tall, and, um, pretty in a grad school way?" Sam was the first to break, trying and failing to conceal her laugh behind her hand. Then Jack and Daniel joined in, even Teal'c cracked a small smile. They lived for these moments.

They lived for the laughter.

….

"She's coding!" Janet yelled, hopping off the stretcher as they reached the infirmary. "Get me 40 units of Vasso and the cart!"

"Sam! Sam, come on, please." Daniel pleaded, managing to grab onto her cold fingers. "Don't do this, Sam."

"Pushing the Vasso." One of the nurses said, her voice tight with stress.

"No change. Clear head and feet!" Janet tore the scissors through Sam's shirt, quelling her rising panic with routine. Placing the pads she reached for the paddles. "Daniel, let her go!"

"No!" He wasn't thinking straight, he couldn't even see straight. Why was the infirmary so bright?

"Get him out of here!" She shouted to one of the burlier nurses. "I'm sorry, Daniel."

"Janet-," But he was already too far away, how'd he move so fast? And why was the ceiling so much higher than usual?

The last thing Daniel heard before collapsing into darkness was Janet's distressed call. "Clear!"

**TBC**

**A/N: In case I don't get a chance to post tomorrow, Happy Fourth of July!**


	3. Thirty Minutes

**Chapter Three: Thirty Minutes**

**A/N: You are all so persuasive! Here is the next installment (still short, next one will be longer)! Happy Fourth! Eat lots of BBQ and don't blow you or your neighbors up with fireworks!**

"Did the MALP return anything, sergeant?" Hammond asked as he descended the steps and entered the control room.

"No, sir. No sign of Colonel O'Neill or Teal'c." Walter kept his eyes on the keyboard, Major Carter's lifeless form and Doctor Jackson's panic flashing through his mind. He felt personally responsible for not being able to provide conclusive information on the planet.

"Any sign of a firefight or a struggle?"

"No, sir."

"Did you attempt to contact them?"

"Just static, sir." Walter could barely bring himself to look at his commanding officer. "Has Doctor Jackson said anything?"

"He's still out." Hammond checked the clock on the wall. "It's only been thirty minutes, I'm sure we'll have our answers soon enough."

'_Thirty minutes.'_ Walter marveled. Only half an hour since the single strangest event in the entire history of the SGC had occurred. "Sir?" The address was out before Walter could stop himself. Stopping halfway up the stairs, Hammond turned. "What do you think happened?"

It was the question he'd been avoiding asking himself since Jackson had first burst through the gate. Had there been an attack? Was Colonel O'Neill host to a Goa'uld? Was he host to something new—something more sinister? A thousand possibilities and Hammond didn't like any of them. And _why_ couldn't they locate Teal'c? Had he been attacked? Killed?

After much too long of a pause, the general finally answered. "Friendly fire, sergeant. An accident."

Walter paused, just long enough that Hammond knew the man didn't buy it. Not for one second. "Yes, sir."

…

"Janet?" Daniel sat up, blinking in the dim lights of the infirmary.

"Hey." She was next to him in an instant, a light, restraining hand on his shoulder. "Glad to have you back."

"Sam? Janet, is she-?" But he broke off, unable to ask.

"She's stable, Daniel." The relief was palpable between them. "She's not out of the woods, but she's stable for now." Janet paused, examining the man she'd known for six years closely. "Daniel, what happened out there?"

"I…" Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, his mind too jumbled to think of anything but Sam. Sam alive. Sam okay. The sharp report of a single shot. Jack. "Where's General Hammond?" In a move that made his head spin, he leapt from the bed.

"Daniel! You need to-!"

"No! He has to know! He can't, under any circumstance, let Jack through that gate!" And then he took off, slamming into two nurses as he barreled through the doorway. _'Please don't let me be too late.'_ Daniel ran as fast as he could, terrified that he would run into Jack at every corner.

Terrified that he would see those cold eyes before the barrel of a gun.

As Daniel ran, more snippets of the last two hours were coming back to him until all he could hear was the desperate sound of Sam's sobs as Jack lifted his weapon.

And laughed.

**TBC**

**A/N: Happy Fourth for real this time! Next chapter will be longer!**


	4. Stars

**Chapter Four: Stars**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading and an even bigger one to everyone reading and taking the time to review! Your feedback is always appreciated and answered! (As long as PMing is turned on!) Here is a longer chapter, just like I promised!**

**Enjoy!**

Night closed in around her as the fire started to dwindle. It had been hours since dinner, but there were still a few more until dawn. And only one more until her watch was over and Teal'c's started. Arching her back, she reached her arms toward the star strewn sky, pausing for a second just to look. Every mission, every planet, she tried to take a minute to really study the sky. After so many years, gate travel sometimes lost its magic for her. The constant instability in her life, in her job…sometimes it was nice to look up and remember that it was that very sky that had inspired an ancient culture to make her job—her life—possible.

A muffled pop echoed off the creaking trees, sending a small family of birds high into the night sky. Sam whipped around, the sound seemingly having come from directly behind her. _'Daniel and Teal'c's tent.'_ Crouching low behind her log, Sam raised her weapon and aimed it at the front of the tent, where she could see the barest shadow of someone moving around. _'That was a silenced shot. That was a gun. Someone has been shot.'_

But no one had approached the camp, at least, no one that she had seen. She swallowed hard and replanted her feet. The zipper was moving.

Steadying herself for whatever was going to come out of that tent, be it a giant hulking planet-monster opening its jaws to devour her or a madman, her stomach bottomed out when she only saw Daniel. He was shuffling sleepily from his tent, only one boot on. "Daniel." She called softly, not moving from her crouched position.

"Sam?" Daniel frowned, narrowed eyes trying to locate her shadowed form.

"Everything okay?" Still unmoving.

"Yeah?" His voice went up at the end and sleep was dropping away, replaced with concern.

"That sound, Daniel." Had it really been a gunshot? Was she paranoid?

"What—oh. The kind of crash?" He yawned, and scratched the back of his head.

'_Was it a crash?'_ Sam replayed the sound in her mind and suddenly she wasn't so sure. Out of context, it had sounded like a gunshot, but Daniel was standing right in front of her, totally fine.

"I was having a nightmare, I think I knocked over my lamp and pack when I woke up." He yawned again, and Sam felt the tension drain from her muscles.

"Jesus, you startled me." Moving back into her seated position, she glared at Daniel. "Don't keep that stuff so close to you when you're sleeping. I could've shot you."

Despite the returning sleepiness, he rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks, mom." Sam laughed quietly and Daniel waved his thumb over his shoulder. "Bathroom." And then he proceeded to half-stumble into the treeline.

Sam turned back around, glancing at the silver stars one last time. Soon, their black velvet background would be replaced by gold laced pinks and purples, and the bright constellations would fade away into the morning light.

…..

"General! General Hammond!" Walter yelled, wide eyes fixed on the accelerating chevrons. The klaxons had already started to blare, no doubt alerting the general to the unscheduled incoming wormhole before Walter had ever opened his mouth.

But it made him feel better to call out.

"Sergeant!" Hammond was almost to the bottom of the staircase, his knuckles white from gripping the railing. Behind him, Daniel took the steps two at a time, his eyes blazing as he glared out at the gate.

"Chevron seven is locked, sir." Walter turned from his computer and the gate room, the reflection of the stabilizing wormhole flashing off of Daniel's spare glasses. "No IDC, sir."

"The radio." Daniel said flatly, just before a burst of static caused everyone to jump and reflexively look at the screen suspended above Walter. There was still a MALP on that planet. Jack and Teal'c were still unaccounted for.

Was one of them trying to get through?

A collective gasp raced through the room as a volley of gunfire erupted through the MALPs intercom. "Teal'c!" Hammond yelled, palm slamming the com button.

A breath.

"General Hammond, sir!" A yell and then more gunfire. "Sir, you need to let us through, we're taking heavy fire!"

Hammond felt like the ground had fallen out beneath him and, for a minute, he was sure he would plummet straight through the Earth. And then everything came rushing back, the open wormhole, the firefight…SG-7's plea for help.

"Major Jennings, we have not received IDC confirmation." Hammond swallowed the frog that seemed to be lodged in his throat.

"You won't, sir." Jennings sounded out of breath. "Simms was the only one left with a working GDO and I saw her fall a few clicks back."

"What happened to the GDOs, major?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I can't answer that question right now." Panic had entered the man's tone. "We're two men down and under heavy fire, sir!" Static. "Cameron's down, Cameron's down!" Another voice could be heard in the background, shouting.

"Sir, open the iris!"

"Negative, major! Gate to the beta site!" Hammond felt the all too familiar chest constriction. These men could die because of that order, but he didn't have a choice.

"Negative, sir!" More static. "Bring out the damn MRIs, tranq guns, I don't care! Lock us up until you're sure!"

"Major, reroute!"

"General Hammond, sir, we are coming through! I repeat, we are coming through!"

The radio went dead.

"Major! Dammit." Hammond growled, heart screaming against his ribs. He may have already lost two invaluable members today. Was he willing to lose three more? Was he willing to risk everyone on base? "Open the iris!" He yelled to Walter before pushing the gate room com. "Use of tranquilizers is authorized! Shoot whoever comes through that gate on sight!"

….

Dumping the dregs of her coffee into the dirt next to her feet, Sam stood, marveling at the sheer amount of popping that came from her joints as she stood. "Ugh, I'm getting old." She groaned, shaking out her hips and shoulders.

"You can't be." His voice didn't startle her. "Because that would mean I'm already old."

"Then my statement still stands." She let the grin slide over her lips before she turned to face him.

He was standing near the mouth of the tent, boots tied tight and cap securely on his head. His expression was shadowy in the dying firelight, but she could see humor dancing in his eyes. Just like always. "Why are you awake?" She asked, rolling her head from shoulder to shoulder, stretching her taut muscles.

"Couldn't sleep." He shrugged, but didn't step forward into the firelight.

"Feeling guilty about something?" She had meant for it to be light…teasing. Instead, there was an uncomfortable edge in her voice. Maybe he should feel guilty.

He paused, a reaction she hadn't expected. He was actually _considering_ the question. A question she really had no right to ask. "A little, I guess." Another pause, but she knew better than to interrupt. It was rare enough for him to open up like this. _'Maybe it's the fire. Or the stars.' _She mused. "What I said earlier, about…_her_," He put an odd stress on the title, like he didn't want to bring up her name. Like he was afraid even saying it would somehow make it all worse.

"It's okay." She headed him off, not wanting them to go any further. There were lines that couldn't be crossed and they both knew it. Not if they wanted their…relationship…to remain unchanged. "I should be getting to bed though. Long day tomorrow."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but merely nodded, stepping to the side as she passed. "G'night." He gave her a small smile and she felt her heart skip a beat with relief. Of course, nothing had changed. She smiled back and ducked into the tent.

…..

Daniel pressed his head against the cold leather of his chair, hair prickling uncomfortably. "Sir, a rescue mission has to be put together." It felt like he'd been saying the same thing over and over again for the last hour.

And it felt like he'd been hearing the same response for just as long. "I can't risk it, Doctor Jackson."

"This is Teal'c we're talking about, general."

"I know that you're close with Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill-,"

"No." Daniel shot forward, eyes blazing again. "Not Jack."

"You haven't actually told me what happened yet, doctor." Hammond leaned forward as well and fixed the younger man with a sympathetic stare. "I know that whatever you saw didn't make any sense. I know that you're worried about Major Carter, but I need to know."

Daniel stared at the general for another moment before letting his eyes drift to the stairs leading to the control room. He'd been glancing at them every few minutes, nervous. And that emergency with SG-7 hadn't helped his frayed nerves.

"I already told you, I don't know why it happened." He paused, the briefing room slowly melting into the dark terrain of the planet as he recalled what he knew. "I woke up to go to the bathroom and Sam was fine. A little jumpy, but fine. I came back and she was fine, happy that her watch was almost up. I offered to wake up Teal'c for her since he had next watch, but she said no, that she was fine. I went back to sleep. I knew Teal'c would wake up when it was time." Daniel drifted into silence, the smallest frown creasing his features.

"Doctor?"

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, trying to recall more than the paltry details he had already recounted. "I woke up when I heard Sam crying. I was worried something had happened, but I was scared more than anything. Sam doesn't cry. And she doesn't cry _like that_." He pressed his lips together as her small, terrified sobs echoed in his mind. "I unzipped the tent as quickly as I could and looked around. The fire was almost out and I couldn't see Sam anywhere. So I ran to her tent, pushed back the already unzipped flap and I-," He broke off here as he had done every time.

"Take your time, son." Truth be told, Hammond felt like he was going to be sick. He'd heard it so many times and still he did not believe it.

"I saw Jack. And I saw Sam. Barely though, I was blocking most of the light coming from the fire. Not that there was much to block in the first place." Daniel swallowed and raised his eyes to meet the general's. "She was curled up against the side of the tent, her sleeping bag twisted around her knees and feet. She was trapped. Jack was standing there, just staring. I thought maybe he'd told her that-," He stopped talking, knowing that old habits die hard. He still wanted to protect them, still wanted to protect their not so subtle secret.

"I thought maybe it was just something he said. Then she looked at me, her eyes red and scared. Terrified. And Jack just laughed. Then, before I could do anything, before I could even shout, he…he pulled the trigger." He felt like he was going to throw up, the sound of that single shot still bouncing off the inside of his skull.

"You can't remember anything else? Any sound or object that seemed out of place?" The story was just so outrageous; Jack was the last person on Earth, hell, this _universe_ that Hammond thought would snap. It just didn't make sense.

"No!" Daniel slammed his hands flat on the table, the sound startling both men. "No." He repeated, quieter. "I don't remember anythi-," And then Daniel felt like someone had punched him. No, like someone had run him over with a semi. Eyes wide and confused he looked at the General. "I don't remember where Teal'c was."

"Teal'c?" Hammond sat up straighter, trying to guess where Daniel was going.

"Sam's watch was over, that's why she was in her tent. Teal'c should have taken over. General, Teal'c should have been out there."

Then, the klaxons began to blare.

**TBC**

**A/N: Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Please R and R!**


	5. The Journey

**Chapter Five: The Journey**

**A/N: I'm sorry for the gap! Unexpected family stuff, but I'm back! **

**This chapter is a bit short, but I just wanted to get something out there as soon as possible.**

**Enjoy!**

When she was a little girl, Sam hadn't dreamed of the stars, but how she would get herself there. She played with dolls, but was more destructive to them than her older brother. She wanted to see how they worked; the ball and socket joints that held all the little limbs together and the tiny string that kept the hair close to the scalp. Kids at school made fun of her; called her Space Head and Dust Bunny (this, after an unfortunate incident where she had grabbed a handful of dust from the corner of the classroom and shoved it under a kid's nose, while trying to explain how every living thing on the planet was made of "star stuff").

Sam _did_ care about the destination, where she was going to end up…where the entirety of the universe was going to end up…but, to her, the journey was the exciting part. What she did to get them there. How she did it.

When she joined the Stargate program, she had been behind the scenes. She studied the gate and all of the theoreticals surrounding it. When she hadn't gone through on that first mission she had rationalized—told herself that _actually_ going through wasn't the part that mattered. The fact that she had been an integral part in even getting the gate to work…well…that was the journey. The actual trip through the gate was the destination.

And it worked. For a little while.

When the mission went ass end up, she had told herself that if she had been there—if she could have provided back up…maybe all they needed was one more person. One more soldier. Maybe they all would've made it back. Maybe the gate wouldn't have been locked away.

And then it came through that they were restarting the program. And Sam knew this was her chance, her journey. And, finally, _finally_, she would get to where she was supposed to go. She would be who she was always supposed to be.

And then she met _him_. She didn't know it right then, but he would become as much a part of her journey as the stargate itself. And it took even longer for her to realize that he had become a part of her destination.

That he _was_ the destination.

"Sam?" Janet stood at the foot of her bed, clipboard in hand.

"Hey." She blinked several times before actually focusing on her friend. Her mind was still too full, her body still too hurt. She just wanted to be left alone.

"How are you feeling?"

"Are you asking as a doctor or as a friend?" Cynical, but soft.

"Both." Janet took a deep breath and tried to quell her anger at seeing her friend like this. The bullet wound, well…she'd get over that in no time. But knowing who was responsible for it?

"I don't believe it, Janet." Sam let her eyes drift skywards, tracing patterns on the grey concrete. That one kind of looked like Nirrti. If you squinted.

"Sam, Daniel said-,"

"I know what Daniel said." She snapped, allowing herself only a brief moment of guilt. "But I don't believe him. I can't remember any of what he says happened."

"Memory loss isn't unusual in high stress-,"

"Stop, Janet. Please." She could hear her heart monitor shrilly telling them both her heart rate had spiked. "I have to hear it from him. Why hasn't General Hammond sent a team?"

"It's only been a few hours, Sam. He wanted to see if you could remember anything before he risked another team." Janet tapped the clipboard on the foot of the bed. "It's not your fault, Sam."

"I'm not a victim, Janet." Sam couldn't keep the mocking tone from her voice. "I'm sorry." She continued after a moment. "I'm just…I guess I'm tired."

"Get some rest." Janet smiled, Sam's grouchiness sliding right off. Before she reached her office, she turned around, the lump she'd been fighting reappearing in her throat. But Sam spoke before she could get a word out.

"Don't tell Cassie."

Janet's heart broke. For all Sam said she didn't believe it, a small part of her had to wonder. Goa'uld, or entity, or mind control…none of it made it any better, any easier to digest. Because it had been him.

Because it had been _him_.

Janet opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the piercing scream of the klaxons. It was the second time in as many hours, and the first time it had been SG-7. Sam hadn't been awake yet and hadn't had the chance to get her hopes up.

But now she could.

She was up in a second, tearing her IV out and yanking off the leads. Janet called out, but Sam was already out the door, palm pressed tightly to her chest. But Janet wasn't sure if she was covering her heart, or the hole just next to it.

….

"General Hammond, listen to me-,"

"Negative, colonel." Hammond's voice was forceful, curt. In the gateroom, three lines of soldiers aimed P-90s and AR-15s at the open wormhole.

"General, please!" Jack O'Neill had never sounded this close to begging. If Daniel's blazing anger hadn't been palpable over his shoulder, Hammond wasn't sure if he'd still believe everything the other man told him.

"Colonel O'Neill, I repeat, relinquish all of your weapons through the gate. Stand in front of the MALP with your hands up and I will consider sending a team through."

"You don't understand-,"

"I understand more than you think, colonel."

"No, sir!" That was definitely desperation in his tone now. "It's Teal'c."

"Teal'c?" Hammond's heart thudded.

"He's hurt. Bad."

"What happened?"

"I don't—," Static erupted over the com and the control room flinched as one. Footsteps echoed in the hall just outside the room before a pale Major Carter stumbled through the doorway, sweat dripping off her brow.

"Sam!" Daniel was next to her in an instant, propping her up as her knees threatened to give out.

"Say again, colonel." Hammond spoke, but kept his eyes on Sam. She looked half-dead. She shouldn't be here—shouldn't be hearing this.

"It was Daniel, sir. Daniel shot Teal'c."

**TBC**

**A/N: Ahhh! So many cliffhangers!**


	6. Cognitive Dissonance

**Chapter Six: Cognitive Dissonance**

**A/N: Whew! Getting down to the last few bits. Thank you all so much for reading and continuing to be interested in this little bit of fiction.**

**Enjoy!**

_Heat. Fire blazed in her chest, heart pounding against its bone prison, flames stretching up into her head, reaching for her eyes._ Pressing her fingers into her eyelids, Sam sat bolt upright and retched. Bile stung her throat and chin as she leaned over the side of her bed and heaved, her whole body aching. Everything hurt, pain so deep she wasn't sure how she was even alive. What the hell had happened?

It was a brief moment of respite before the last few hours came rushing back. Pain, unbelievable pain, blossoming in her chest…darkness…heavy footsteps and the nauseating sensation of bouncing up and down…the SGC…Daniel, Janet, Teal'c…the colonel.

Teal'c!

Fresh pain washed over her as panic forced her to her feet, toes slipping against the wet floor. Where was she? In her on-base quarters. How had she gotten here? She didn't remember. What did she remember?

Sam screwed up her face against the pain and forced her mind into action. She needed to know what had happened, had no choice but to have a clear head.

_She half ran, half fell into the control room; her muscles screamed in protest, but she pushed on. Daniel was beside her, bracing her, and she let him, more focused on the voice filling the room than her own weakness._

"_It was Daniel, sir. Daniel shot Teal'c."_

_Silence engulfed the room and everyone went still. She felt Daniel stiffen next to her, but didn't know why. She couldn't understand what she had heard, how was it possible? Daniel was here! Daniel had carried her back through the gate after she'd been shot! He couldn't have shot Teal'c._

_At this, a fear so complete she could have collapsed right there flashed through her. Teal'c was hurt, had been hurt for god knows how long, and her colonel had probably shot him too. And now he was lying through his teeth, spinning a tale that could not possibly have merit._

_But…what if it did? That popping sound she'd heard at the end of her watch…Daniel stumbling from the tent. She'd never considered the possibility that it was not an intruder who had posed the threat, but the man holding her up now, fingers gripping her arm too tightly._

_He'd lied._

_Terror followed by fury followed by agony. Her head had exploded in white and—_

And that was it. That was all she remembered. Wait…no, something else. The colonel's voice in the background as she was working everything out.

"_I can't find him, general. Daniel's gone." A pause. The colonel's voice had changed, a muddled note had entered his tone. "And I can't find Carter. I've—I…she's gone too, sir."_

If he had truly been the one to shoot her, why would he be looking for her? Nothing made sense and she still hadn't figured out who'd put her in her quarters. And where the hell was her team? Or what was left of it anyway.

…

Hammond picked up his pen for what felt like the hundredth time. Every time he thought he knew how to start his report, he'd run into a wall, impeded time and again by confusion and, if he was honest, fear. His flagship team was in shambles, two members shot and the other two suspected of the crimes. Never in a million years had the older man ever anticipated anything like this happening.

He'd ordered Colonel O'Neill to leave behind his weapons (to which he'd chillingly replied that they, too, were missing) and bring Teal'c through the gate at which time he was to place both hands above his head. He'd come through, pulling Teal'c behind him on a sloppily made field stretcher, face pale and tired. He was shot with a tranquilizer before he could even make eye contact with the general.

Now both he and Doctor Jackson were locked in separate holding cells, O'Neill shell-shocked and Jackson edgy. Both insisted they were innocent and, if Hammond hadn't seen the conviction in Daniel's face as he had carried the unconscious Major Carter through the gate, he might have put more credence in the genuinely stunned expression on the colonel's face when he gave him a brief run down.

The pain that had twisted his face when he'd heard about Major Carter.

As if he'd called the Devil himself, she appeared in front of him, her BDU shirt buttoned crookedly, but her boots tied tight. She appraised him with clear, albeit tired, eyes. "Major." He stood, equal parts thrilled and frustrated that she was up and about. "How're you feeling?"

"Better, sir." It was a lie and they both knew it.

"What can I do for you?" He noticed she was shaking and knew that she knew he had. She made a visible effort to stand taller.

"I…I think I remember, sir. I think I know what happened."

…..

The woman sat on a moss-covered rock, bird thin and paler than the moon on the clearest night. Her long auburn hair curled around her elbows swirling softly even though there was no breeze that night. Graceful feet pointed toward the grass, but never quite reached, toes just brushing the chilled blades. He stood in front of her, eyes cold chips of glass under the silver light of the night's chiseled moon. There was no warmth in his gaze, hadn't been since that night, so many years ago. So many lightyears ago.

How far had she run? How many times had she fled only to discover he was mere hours behind her? She couldn't escape him. Had never been able to escape him.

Not even in death.

**TBC**

**A/N: Thank you all! Only one(ish) more chapter(s) to go!**


	7. Him

**Chapter Seven: Him**

**A/N: Here we go! A pretty long chunk if I do say so myself!**

**Enjoy!**

It was cold; his toes curling in and muscles tense from quaking. But that didn't make any sense. This planet wasn't in its winter, the temperatures reaching almost ninety degrees the day before. A small grin cracked his chilled lips as he remembered the distracted way Carter had wiped sweat dampened hair from her eyes as she looked at her little beepy machine.

Carter.

Was she cold too, or was it just him? Maybe he was getting sick? Rolling over and cracking open an eye, Jack was surprised by the first two thoughts that assailed him. One, that Carter was not in the tent with him and two, it was bright. Much too bright for seven in the morning. Pushing the unusual light from his mind for the time being, Jack propped himself up on his elbows and that's when the smell hit him.

Bitter and salty, sour, but with a cloying sweetness. He'd know that smell anywhere, had it burned into him after every botched mission, after every rescue operation. Blood.

But whose?

Shaking off the already receding chill, he lurched to his feet, wobbling as he stood on jelly legs. When had he taken his boots off? The first finger of panic traced his spine. _'Blood and boots.'_ The words rolled in his mind like a sick refrain. Something was horribly wrong.

The smell seemed to grow stronger the more he realized he didn't understand. Why hadn't anyone woken him up? Why was the sun so bright? Whose blood was baking in the heat? Why were his boots off? _Where_ were his boots? His weapon.

Jack looked down to his sleeping bag at the place where that comforting metal lump should have been and felt his stomach bottom out. It was gone. He didn't need to reach down to his ankle to confirm his back-up was also missing.

Light-headed and suddenly incredible thirsty, Jack staggered to the tent flap—which was hanging open—but turned his head before tumbling out. Dark black puddles muddied the far corner of the tent, a sickening sheen dancing in the sunlight.

'_Carter, Carter, Carter—,'_ Her name somersaulted through his fear-sharpened mind. Despite the haze that seemed to cling to the very outer corners of his vision, he took a few cautious steps into the silent landscape. _'No weapon, no Carter, no boots. Not good, O'Neill.'_

As he edged past the cold embers of last night's fire he heard it. A faint whistle, a whispered call for help. Coming from the other tent. Someone was still here.

Slowly, his instincts telling him that whatever had happened to his campsite had happened hours ago, he pushed back the flap of the second tent and entered, blinking in the dimmer light. Why did it seem so much darker than his own tent? And then he saw the blood that had spattered the canvas "ceiling." Big, dark globs of dried blood that blocked out the sun.

"Teal'c!" It was more hiss than words. Dropping to his knees, he pushed two shaking fingers into his friend's neck, nearly choking with relief when a faint pulse skittered beneath his skin. He was alive. The salty stench was worse in here, more blood had been spilled. Unwilling to move Teal'c, Jack dug around in Daniel's upturned pack until he found a small pocket knife. Quickly setting to work, he cut around the metal frame of the tent, pulling large canvas flaps down and letting the fresh air in. Kneeling once more, he tore one of the smaller flaps and, as carefully as he could, pressed it against the gaping wound in Teal'c's stomach and wrapped it around his body, binding the injury as best he could. He didn't bother checking for the symbiote in Teal'c's pouch. Someone had aimed there on purpose.

And throughout all this, Teal'c hadn't moved. Barely seemed to be breathing.

What the hell had happened? And where were Daniel and Carter?

Daniel.

Jack felt his heart clog his throat as the pieces slammed into place. Teal'c shot, pools of blood in his tent where Carter should've been, his brain fuzzy…drugged. And Daniel was gone, no blood to suggest injury and no drag marks to show a fight. Looking at the shredded canvas Jack had to admit there was enough blood here to cast suspicion on his second point.

But his gut told him that Daniel was at the center of this. But why? Why would he do this?

What had made him do this?

A chill ran up Jack's spine. He was still weaponless, half his team gone—one who might be responsible for all of this—and Teal'c in dire straits. Never did Jack think he would have wished for Junior's presence. The symbiote Teal'c had carried always creeped him out, always a reminder of how far the control of the Goa'uld reached…

But now, Jack knew without it Teal'c could die.

It was a miracle he was alive now.

"O'Neill." Dry words from dry lips. "We must…return…" A rattle emanated from somewhere deep inside Teal'c's chest. A death rattle.

"No, no, no you stay with me, buddy." Jack took two deep breaths, forcing calm. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Daniel…Jackson…" Jack felt his stomach clench at the words. So he had been right. "Where…Major Carter?"

"She's fine." He lied, mind racing, unable to stop at any one thought. Too much, too much…he needed to focus. Think, how to move Teal'c? The tent. Makeshift stretcher. _'Okay, now you're getting somewhere, O'Neill.'_

It had taken almost an hour to get Teal'c situated in the pitiful excuse for a stretcher. To his credit, the bigger man hadn't uttered a cry, not even when Jack—in his haste—tied a stabilizing piece of canvas much too tight around his torso. He kept his eyes open the whole time and Jack had the alarming feeling that Teal'c was afraid to close them.

But now came the hard part. How was he going to drag Teal'c to the gate without accidentally killing him in the process? They weren't incredibly far, Jack silently thanking Carter's fascination with this clearing in particular. She said something about how it tugged at her, that maybe they should stay there for the night. Only a click and some and they'd be as good as home.

He was just going to have to be careful. Any more time he took to rig something up would be time that Teal'c lost. And they couldn't afford that. _'Teal'c, Carter, Carter, Teal'c, Carter—Daniel.'_ For the first time, Jack felt rage slash through him. Red and orange and blazing white, his hands clenched on the canvas loops he'd made for handholds. What _in the hell_ had he done?

….

"General, please!" The words ripped from him, propriety going out the window. He didn't give a damn if he was pleading, Teal'c needed medical attention _now_. The journey to the gate had been rough, too rough. His skin was grey and sweat stood out on his brow. Jack wasn't sure if he was even breathing.

Hammond said something, something about weapons, but Jack didn't have any so he didn't listen, eyes glued to his statuesque teammate. His dying friend. "You don't understand-," His words were sticking in his throat, like when his mother used to make her blackberry pie, always adding too much sugar, the filling so dense…

Carter had promised to make him her special pumpkin pie for his birthday. He hadn't even known she could bake. So many things he didn't know…

He was losing focus.

"No, sir!" The general was talking too much. Why wasn't the man being more understanding? _'Because he doesn't know.'_ The words trickled across his scalp, causing him to shiver violently. "It's Teal'c."

A pause. "Teal'c?" The general's voice had lost its edge. But that could've been a trick of the static.

"He's hurt. Bad." But that didn't convey anything. Teal'c didn't have a broken bone or a concussion…he'd been shot. Fatally, probably, since Junior had caught the brunt.

"What happened?" Not concern…suspicion.

Jack wanted to scream. "I don't know! General, we need to come through. Please. He's lost so much blood…"

"Say again, colonel."

Frustration erupted in Jack's very core. So much time wasted. Time that Teal'c could have been saved, that Carter could have been found…that Daniel could have been caught. The words tore viciously from his throat. They had lost too much time. "It was Daniel, sir. Daniel shot Teal'c."

….

Hours later found Jack leaning against the unforgiving concrete of the SGC, cold steel bars glittering in front of him. Truth be told, he wasn't surprised, not after hearing what Hammond had to say. All he could feel was a deep, bone-settling relief. A feeling so huge he didn't know he was capable of it.

Carter was here. She was hurt, but alive. _'Alive, alive, alive, she's alive.'_

But that brought him no closer to understanding what had happened on that planet. If Daniel had shot both Carter and Teal'c, why would he bring her back to the SGC in a panic? Why leave Teal'c behind? Jack figured it was to assert his own innocence and leave Jack as the clear guilty party.

But he hadn't done it.

Right?

Jack swallowed hard at the memory of his first few seconds of consciousness on the planet. His boots and weapons gone. Why would anyone have taken his boots? What if he himself had removed them? Removed them so their blood wouldn't stain his bedding…

Jack shuddered so brutally his teeth rattled in his head. No. It wasn't him. He never could have pulled the trigger, let alone raise his weapon at Carter. She was too…he'd meant what he'd said a few years back. He'd rather die himself than lose her. Nothing had changed.

Except everything.

And no one had come to give him an update on Teal'c. For all he knew, he was lying dead—cold and stiff on a metal gurney somewhere deep in the bowels of this fortress turned prison. And he didn't know anything about his major except that she was alive. Which should have been enough. But it wasn't.

He just needed to see her. Look into her eyes and know that his own image wasn't reflected there, pointing the business end of his weapon at her.

A soft murmur interrupted his thoughts. Turning his aching neck towards the door, he almost stood, blood zinging. But it was probably just an airman bringing him something resembling a meal. The murmur continued for a moment before the tone changed. What had been a polite exchange turned suddenly cold, fierce.

Then a commanding voice rang through the door. "That is an order. Move." The last word was hissed dangerously, making Jack's hair stand on end.

And like a vision from the shimmering depths of hell or the furthest reaches of heaven, she stood before him. Her eyes were like melting glaciers, cold but wet and ringed with exhaustion. Her BDUs were neat, but a slight bump told him she was wearing several layers of padded gauze. Right over her heart.

He couldn't tear his eyes away.

"As much as I'd otherwise enjoy this." Her words echoed his own statement from eons ago, under the ice. But her voice was flat, any trace of humor swallowed by hesitancy.

"Carter." He managed to croak, throat suddenly raw. She was pale, so pale, but she was standing tall, eyes free of any pain induced haziness.

"Sir." Jack could feel it. The inexplicable pull between them, could feel her fighting it even now. That word had almost been her undoing. "We need to talk."

**TBC**

**A/N: Okay, so I lied. This is clearly not the last chapter. The next one won't be either. But the one after that…well, maybe. Thank you to all of you and a special thank you to narellew68 for pushing me to make this story all it can be!**

**And to reviewer EAC-Yup! I have a ton of other SG-1 stories, they're all on my page. (If that's what you meant in your review. If not, I'm sorry for misunderstanding!)**


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